Manfred Mann

Manfred Mann

was a British R&B and pop band well known in the 1960's. The group was named after the founder and keyboard player. In the 1970's they were known as Manfred Mannís Earth Band. The band was originally known as The Mann-Hugg Blues Brothers, and was formed in London, England, in 1962, by Mann and Mike Hugg (drum and vibes player). The other members of the group was Mike Vickers as their lead guitar player, Dave Richmond as their bass player, and Paul Jones as lead vocalist and harmonica player. At this point they changed their names to Manfred Mann and The Manfreds. The band played many gigs in 1962 and 1963. The band signed on with HMV Records in March, 1963. This took place after they changed their name to Manfred Mann, which was suggested by their producer. The group made their debut single in July, 1963, with Why Should We Not, which was a jazz instrumental. The record did not chart and neither did their followup, Cock-A=Hoop, which included vocals this time. In 1964 the band wrote a theme song for the ITV pop music TV series, Ready Set Go. The song was called, 5-4-3-2-1, and it rose to number 5 on the U. K. Charts. Richmond left the group just after the record was recorded. There were many changes made in the lineup of the band from then on.

The groupís next hit, that they wrote, was Hubble Bubble Toil and Trouble. After that they released, Do Wah Diddy Diddy, and this song went gold. This song had been a minor hit by the Exciters, earlier that year. Manford Mann version hit the top charts in the U. S. And also in the U. K.. By 1965 the group was releasing hits which were both self written and also cover material written by someone else. Their music style changed from their normal blues, jazz style to a more pop, soul style. They were successful with their version of Bob Dylanís songs, one of which was, With God On Our Side. It was used on their best selling EP. They reached number 2 in the U. K. With the hit, If You Gottaí Go, Go Now. This song was banned by many radio stations and television stations. Paul Jones quit the group after this and went on to pursue a solo career.

Mann wrote advertising jingles after the group split up but they still worked together to write. Eventually Mann formed the group, Manfred Mann Chapter Three, with member Mike Hugg. This idea was short lived and they split up and then Mann formed his new group, Manfred Mannís Earth Band. In the 1990's, most of the original group reformed, without Manfred Mann. They played most of their old 1960's hits. The band has released a total of 21 U. K. Singles, 17 U. S. Singles, and 14 albums during their musical career together.